MECHANICSVILLE, Va.—President Obama isn’t the only person who has been spotted buying Hanover tomatoes in Mechanicsville this summer. The well-loved tomatoes from Central Virginia’s Hanover County are also popular at a church-sponsored communty farmer’s market. The mid-week market launched by…
SBCs’ top public policy spokesman Richard Land to retire
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP)—Richard Land, Southern Baptists’ top public-policy spokesman, announced July 31 that he will retire next year. Land, 65, plans to step down Oct. 23, 2013, from the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, 25 years to…
HERITAGE: Only Boys Aloud
In 2010 a choir for boys ages 14 to 19 was formed in Wales. This year the choir, dubbed Only Boys Aloud, placed third in Britain’s Got Talent television show. The choir has about 133 boys and their perfect voices…
Miami school board won’t evict church
By Bob Allen A controversial Southern Baptist pastor claimed victory Aug. 3 after Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho decided not to evict his two-year-old church from meeting in a high school for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. The…
Churches aid learning with food
By Bob Allen Before long, youngsters toting backpacks back and forth to school will be a common sight, but for about 40 students at Peck Elementary School in Greensboro, N.C., they will carry something more vital than just notebooks and…
Education ‘today’s civil-rights issue’
By Bob Allen A new kind of “school choice” agenda is gaining ground as more and more young adults — including Christians concerned about social justice — choose teaching in public schools over more lucrative and less challenging careers. U.S….
Texas Baptists name new publisher
By Bob Allen Scott Stevens, former student director at LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, has been named publisher of BaptistWay Press, publishing arm of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Stevens, who has both a master’s degree…
Police investigate IFB pastor
By Bob Allen An Indiana sheriff’s office is investigating a prominent independent Baptist pastor fired from his 15,000-member mega church for alleged sexual misconduct with an underage girl. First Baptist Church in Hammond, Ind., posted a news release on the…
Faith leaders oppose GOP tax plan
By Bob Allen More than 60 Christian leaders and theologians – including several Baptists – signed an open letter Aug. 1 criticizing a proposal backed by House Republicans to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans,…
Richard Land announces retirement
By Bob Allen Richard Land, Southern Baptists’ top public-policy spokesman recently reprimanded for plagiarism and racially insensitive rhetoric on his radio show, announced July 31 that he will retire next year. Land, 65, plans to step down Oct. 23, 2013,…
Chick-fil-A to draw crowds—and not for its food
(RNS)—It could get pretty crowded at Chick-fil-A’s across the Mid-Atlantic and the nation this week—and not because of the fast-food restaurant’s famous waffle fries. Supporters and opponents of gay marriage plan to appear at Chick-fil-A locations nationwide after the company’s…
Religion at the Olympics, from ancient Greece to London
NEW YORK (RNS)—A 600-foot footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, Greeks gathered every four years in Olympia to…